Airlines have banned this practice, but that hasn’t deterred passengers
July 14, 2023 at 12:58 p.m. EDT
(Video: Washington Post illustration; iStock)
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Earlier this week, an unaccompanied minor leaving Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida made headlines after being denied boarding on an American Airlines flight. He had committed no crime, nor was he accused of rebelliousness.
his offense? Trying to use a money-saving trick brave aviators use every year.
It’s called skiplagging, and while it sounds pretty playful, it’s hardly a game in the airlines’ minds. In fact, most airlines consider this a form of fraud.
Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial practice.
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“Skiplagging – or ‘hidden city ticketing’ – is booking a trip where you plan to disembark in a stopover city and throw away the last leg or legs of a flight,” explains Clint Henderson, industry expert and editor-in-chief of The Points Guy.
“Suppose I want to fly from New York to Miami,” he explains. “Prices are high if I book direct, but if I fly from New York to Miami to Orlando I can save $130. I could book that, use the savings, and then hop off the plane in Miami instead of flying on to Orlando.”
It might seem counter-intuitive: you end up flying fewer miles in the air, so why should it cost more money on the ground? Well, airlines usually charge a lower price for connecting flights than for direct flights, since the latter are often more popular. Additionally, as Henderson points out, airlines want to move as many passengers as possible through their dedicated hubs to increase efficiency and thereby reduce costs. That means you can usually save money by connecting through one of these main operating bases.
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In the case of the Gainesville teenager, he was booked on a flight to New York City via Charlotte – a major American Airlines hub. However, his family lives in North Carolina and as such he never intended to take the connecting flight to New York, his father Hunter Parsons told local media. Gate agents became suspicious of his intent after seeing his North Carolina license. He was then pulled aside for questioning, his ticket was canceled and the family had to buy a new one, Parsons said.
Several news outlets have reported that the teenager was “detained” during the incident, but an American Airlines spokesman refutes that description.
“According to our records, the customer was not asked about their trip until they were at the ticket counter when they tried to check in for their flight,” AA spokeswoman Andrea Koos said in an email. “A member of our customer relations team has been in touch with them to address their concerns.”
What are airlines’ policies on skiplagging?
The fact that the teenager was denied boarding underscores how seriously airlines take skilagging. That makes sense, since the practice eats into them revenue on two fronts: not only are passengers underpaying — potentially by hundreds of dollars a ticket — but the seat on the thrown leg could have been sold to someone else.
Most major airline contracts of carriage therefore expressly prohibit skilagging. If an airline catches you skipping, they could cancel your entire itinerary. Henderson also cites examples of travelers having had frequent flyer miles and memberships revoked, or even on rare occasions, where passengers have been sued.
“Airlines are becoming more sophisticated and smarter about this,” he adds. “I expect this will only increase as the technology advances.”
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In the meantime, it remains a somewhat thorny issue in the travel space. It can be difficult to prove a passenger’s actual travel intentions.
Matt Meltzer, a Miami-based travel writer, said he’s saved hundreds of dollars on flights by forgoing travel in recent years. He views the teenager’s recent experiences as an outlier and doesn’t think gate agents pay attention to skilagging at major hubs.
“If I were to get on that flight and someone accused me of not having any intention of going to New York, I would just say, ‘Nope!’ Got Hamilton tickets tomorrow night. Very excited. Go Mets!’”
And it’s not exactly sound business practice to preemptively accuse your paying customers of fraud. Delta and United officials declined to comment on this story; Delta pointed to a connection to the airline’s contract of carriage, which specifically prohibits ticket sales in hidden cities. United, American and Southwest also prohibit this practice in their contracts of carriage.
So should you avoid skipping?
Despite airlines banning the practice, some travelers evade the rules — and there are resources to help them do just that. Most notable is Skiplagged.com, which helped popularize the practice and the term itself when the site launched in 2013 (United Airlines and Orbitz unsuccessfully tried to sue the site a year later).
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Be warned: skilagging not only draws the wrath of airlines, it also creates a host of logistical problems. Chris Dong, a Los Angeles-based travel writer and points expert who used to do skilag, says you can’t do it, especially on a round-trip flight.
“The airline will cancel your return flight if you fail to show up for any leg of your booked itinerary,” Dong said in an email.
If the flight schedule changes or a flight is delayed or rerouted, which can often happen during a blustery, busy travel season, Dong points out, “there’s a chance your entire skip-lag plan will go out the window.”
Finally, Henderson introduces another hazard: “What if you were the last to board and you had to check your carry-on baggage?”
“You’re going to get in trouble because your bag ends up in the wrong city,” he said. “The airlines can steal your loyalty account, ban you from the airline and even sue you. It’s definitely not worth the risk to try this just to save a few bucks. Do not do it!”
Brad Japhe is a London-based travel writer. You can follow him on Instagram: @Journeys_with_japhe.
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